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Tennessee Governor Defends Use Of Private Email

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is defending how he and top aides have used private email.

That follows questions raised by NewsChannel 5 Investigates.

Our investigation found an email system linked to the governor's personal web page, billhaslam.com.

And we found examples of that email system being used to discuss state business.

The governor told reporters Friday that it's all on the up-and-up.

"This isn't a Hillary Clinton deal where we were using personal email only. There's no state secrets on there. This is literally just a case of -- i guarantee it -- 99.9 percent of emails happen on the state email except for an inadvertent slip."

Haslam said, "We remind people all the time [that] state business has to happen on state email. I bet that conversation happens not just at our staff meetings but at our cabinet meetings. There's nothing there -- I promise."

When asked for comment earlier this week, Haslam communications director Dave Smith did not mention any policy that "state business has to happen on state email."

The governor said that he has billhaslam.com set up as the default email on his smartphone -- to make sure he doesn't use the state's email system inappropriately.

As he walked away from the reporters, Haslam mumbled: "Find better news."